In the United States, lung cancer is the second most common cancer, after prostate cancer in men, and breast cancer in women. Non-small cell lung cancers comprise the majority of lung cancers, with the remaining lung cancers being small cell lung cancers. There are few reliable mechanisms for treating lung cancer.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) includes conditions such as, e.g., chronic bronchitis and emphysema. These conditions are often co-existing within patients having COPD. COPD currently affects over 15 million people in the United States alone and is currently the third leading cause of death in the country. The primary cause of COPD is inhalation of cigarette smoke, responsible for over 90% of COPD cases. The economic and social burden of the disease is substantial and is increasing. Other ailments of the lung include asthma and allergies, among others.
Chronic bronchitis is characterized by chronic cough with sputum production. Due to airway inflammation, mucus hypersecretion, airway hyperresponsiveness, and eventual fibrosis of the airway walls, significant airflow and gas exchange limitations result. Chronic bronchitis can lead to a blockage of the airways and debilitating exacerbative episodes that can pose serious health risks to COPD patients.
Emphysema is characterized by the destruction of the lung parenchyma. This destruction of the lung parenchyma leads to a loss of elastic recoil and tethering which maintains airway patency. Because bronchioles are not supported by cartilage like the larger airways, they have little intrinsic support and therefore are susceptible to collapse when destruction of tethering occurs, particularly during exhalation.
Strategies for managing COPD include smoking cessation, vaccination, rehabilitation, and drug treatments (e.g., inhalers or oral medication). Drug treatments of COPD conditions, such as, e.g., mucus production, often suffer from poor patient compliance. That is, certain patients may not accurately administer prescribed doses, reducing the efficacy of treatment. For drug treatments utilizing inhalation, there is also an accompanying drug loss due to upper airway entrapment, which may lead to an over-prescription of active drugs. For drug treatments utilizing oral administration, there is an accompanying systemic loss which also leads to an over-prescription of active drugs. The over-prescription of drugs may result in suboptimal treatment and/or a build-up of toxins within the lungs and/or other organ systems.
Thus, there remains a need for improved methods and devices for treating lung cancers and other ailments of the lungs.